Hendersonville Epicurean
My little grey cells were nagging at me. Something in Leigh Kelley's April 21st article in the Hendersonville Times-News, "Local Diners Get a Host of New Offerings" was needling for attention - but what? So today I re-read the article and figured it out as soon as I read these lines: An emphasis on fresh organic ingredients is the restaurant's stock in trade, he said. "My parents are trying to start an organic farm in Polk County," he said. "They started their first greenhouse last year and this year they have two. We also work with organic farmers in Asheville, and we're trying to network with the organic farmers here. We also get our trout from Sunburst trout farm in Canton, so we can be as self-sustaining as possible with all organic ingredients." That mention of fresh organic ingredients at Sq 1, owner Joe Lewis' parents starting an organic farm, using as many local ingredients as possible had left me wanting to know more. Really, I just wanted to know if Sq 1 served enough organic food to justify my listing them on the Hendersonville Epicurean "Organic Restaurants" page. I decided to go right to the source and called Sq 1 in the hopes that Executive Chef/Owner Joe Lewis might have a few minutes and be willing to answer a couple of questions. So much for a few minutes! Chef Joe graciously spent quite a bit of time answering questions about his approach to food sourcing, his parent's farm, his own garden and something new he's trying at Sq 1. As far as organic, natural and sustainable go, Chef Joe takes the "50-150-Regional" approach as much as possible. Produce from within 50 miles, "small protein items" from within 150 miles and "big protein items" from within our region of the country. The beef Sq 1 uses is fed a 100% vegetarian diet of range grass when they're young and then barley, corn and alfalfa hay. Their chicken and lamb are all free range/hormone free and eggs are from cage-free raised chickens in Alexander, NC. Seafood at Sq 1 is mostly native NC, from our rivers and off our southern Atlantic coast. |
Hendersonville EpicureanThe WD40 was in my purse; I was ready to go to Sq 1 Bistro for Sunday brunch!
I wasn't about to let a squeaky door ruin our brunch! I would have had no problem slipping our server my mini spray can of WD40 and pointing her towards the hinges. Lucky for us, the door had been fixed. Someone at Sq 1 had been paying attention. There were three in our party. We were seated in the back of the restaurant in a cozy area reached by going up a few steps. This area is sep- arated from the rest of the restaurant by a partial wall, so you feel apart but still a part of the action, if you get what I mean. We ordered two Apple Wood Smoked Bacon and Brie Omelets, served with fresh fruit ($7.00) and one Crepe filled with apple, cinnamon and cream cheese, served with maple syrup and apple wood smoked bacon ($7.00). According to the two diners who had the omelets, they were very good - light and fluffy with generous amounts of bacon and brie in them. The only comment the omelet eaters made that could be construed as "surprise" was that although the inside of the omelet was very creamy due to the melted brie, they were both expecting a stronger cheese flavor. We decided the bacon's flavor must have just overpowered the brie. The side of fresh fruit balanced the omelet very nicely.
The apples were sliced fresh, with the skins left on and cooked to tender with just a touch of crispness. This was a welcome discovery. |
As Hercule Poirot is fond of
saying, (read with French
accent), "it is the brain, the
little grey cells, on which
one must rely".
Friends had been to Sq 1 for dinner a couple of nights earlier, and said either the kitchen or front door made such a horrible noise when opening and closing, it really put a damper on their meal. It turned into a sort of water-torture thing with each swing of the door anticipated throughout their meal.
My crepe dish (really three
crepes) was very good. I
really liked the way it was
served; crepes laid onto a
medium pour of maple syrup.
Some people might not like
their bacon touching syrup,
but I do. The bacon was also
served "extra crispy" as
requested. Kudos to the
server for listening to my
special request.
